The Walkspace Newsletter - Urban Emoji walk, Paradise Lost screening and Josh Allen's newsletter
Hello walkers and walking enthusiasts!
In this edition of the Walkspace Newsletter we have details of next month’s Erratic - Urban Emoji Mapping with Dan Gutteridge, another opportunity to watch Andy Howlett’s exploratory essay-film Paradise Lost on the big screen, and we recommend another walking-themed, Midlands-focused newsletter, Walk Midlands by Josh Allen.
Urban Emoji Mapping
With an increased emphasis on the need to reconnect with nature, to escape the city and restore ourselves in greenery, what happens if we attempt to flip this? What if instead we escape to the city? What if we try to reconnect with the urban and restore ourselves amongst the grey?
Join our newest member Dan Gutteridge on September 18th for a walk through the hyper-urban streets of Birmingham. Rather than simply rushing through the concrete to get from A to B, we’ll take time to see and think about these busy pedestrian streets differently; investigating the emotional influence they have on all who pass through and inhabit them.
As we drift we will use ‘emoji mapping’ to unfold how we see and feel in various sections and consider how these spaces might bring new experiences to us. Being away from nature, can we connect to the urban in ways that generate similar emotions to those we feel amongst the green?
Meet in Victoria Square at the bottom of the stairs by the fountain at 11am on Sunday 18th September. We’ll then set off down New Street for a 90 minute walk, finishing off back where we started. The terrain will be pavement with only slight inclines and no steps. No need to book, just turn up. The walk will go ahead whatever the weather so check the forecast and dress appropriately. See the event page for more info.
Paradise Lost at Birmingham Heritage Week
If you haven’t yet seen Andy Howlett’s “micro budget masterpiece of flâneurie”* then don’t miss this chance to see it on the big screen as part of Birmingham Heritage Week . Paradise Lost, History in the Unmaking is a feature-length essay film about Birmingham Central Library and the death of Modernism. Decried by Birmingham City Council as an eyesore, but hailed by Historic England as an exemplar of postwar design, the story of John Madin’s concrete colossus and the fight to save it is a curious one.
In this psychogeographic detective story, Howlett weaves together archive footage with on-the-ground explorations and discovers a city forever uncomfortable in its own skin and increasingly beholden to the interests of private property developers. The film seeks to revive the utopian dreams embedded in the Brutalist architecture by speaking to the artists, activists, employees, skateboarders and dreamers who called it home.
Following the screening, Howlett will be joined in conversation by architect and conservationist Joe Holyoak. Joe has decades of experience with both the Victorian Society and the Twentieth Century Society, giving him a unique perspective on Birmingham’s architectural story.
The event is at 7pm, Thursday 15th September at The Warehouse Cafe, Digbeth. This a is hybrid event with the option of online or in-person tickets. Tickets are £7 general admission, £5 concession. If you choose the ticket that includes pre-ordering a curry from The Warehouse Cafe, this will be served from 6.00pm onwards. Book your ticket here.
*Christopher Beanland, author
Walk Midlands
For those who can’t get enough Midlands-based walking content we recommend Walk Midlands , “a guide to day walks in the English Midlands accessible without a car, for walkers interested in all aspects of the region’s people, landscape and history.” Josh Allen (also a Walkspace member) started Walk Midlands less than a year ago and it’s fast becoming an invaluable resource for anyone looking for interesting places to walk in the region. Josh’s write-ups contain a wealth of fascinating historical information about the places he visits and he has a strong political understanding about what walking is and what it can achieve.
The Walk Midlands Newsletter is a monthly round-up of new material posted on the site and we highly recommend signing up. August’s edition features four new walks, a “focus on Shropshire” essay, and a staggering list of interesting events happening right across the Midlands. Read and subscribe here.
Stay tuned for more West Midlands walking updates!
All the best,
Andy, Fiona and Pete: The Walkspace Committee.